THE PERFORMERS

Emerald Ensemble is Bristol's professional chamber orchestra, a lively and dynamic ensemble which was formed in 1994 by Roger Huckle. It is a musicians' collective, bringing together the best of the region's performers. Over the past ten years, Emerald Ensemble has performed classical and contemporary music to audiences both young and old, in large concert venues and in smaller, more intimate, performance spaces in and around the city of Bristol and the West of England. www.emeraldensemble.com

Exultate Singers was founded in 2002 and made its inaugural broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in September 2002. The choir is made up of gifted adult singers, mainly from Bristol and Bath. It has performed numerous concerts in Bristol and around the South West and made several BBC broadcasts. Highlights include the first South West performance of James MacMillan's demanding work Seven Last Words From The Cross and a live broadcast of Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert on BBC Radio 4 from St Martin-in-the-Fields, London. www.exultatesingers.org

David Ogden is much in demand as a conductor and director of choral and church music workshops, courses and festivals in the UK and abroad. As well as Exultate Singers, he conducts the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir, Midlands and South West Cathedral Singers, City of Bristol Choir, and the youth choir, Bristol Voices. David has conducted numerous concerts of all kinds of music, from jazz and songs from the shows, to first performances by contemporary composers, along with a large repertoire of choral anthems, motets, oratorios and large-scale choral works. In the UK, he works extensively with the Royal School of Church Music, and with the BBC in religious broadcasting. www.davidogden.co.uk

Sam Adams Nye won the prestigious BBC 2005 Chorister of the Year title last October, and since then has performed and recorded live in Canterbury Cathedral, Bath Abbey, Bristol's Colston Hall and Bristol's St Mary Redcliffe Church. Sam fits this in with school work at Bristol Cathedral School and his responsibilities as Head Chorister at Bristol Cathedral Choir. The composer John Rutter, head of the BBC competition judging panel described Sam as having, "a clear, beautiful voice and a remarkable interpretative gift. He is a thoroughly deserving winner of the 2005 BBC Chorister of the Year award".

Martin Le Poidevin is a well-known oratorio soloist in the West Country area. He has a wealth of operatic experience, and is also a choral director and a composer writing choral and instrumental music. www.martinlepoidevin.me.uk

Roger Huckle received his musical education at the Birmingham Conservatoire where he won all the major prizes. He spent several years in Norway as a member of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and several chamber music groups including the Bergen Piano Trio. Since returning to England he has been much in demand as a soloist, chamber musician and in the recording studio. He co-leads the National Chamber Orchestra of Wales, Opera Box and the London Concertante, and appears as guest leader with several other groups.

John Austin is an award-winning railway artist and Deputy President of the Guild of Railway Artists. He has won the prestigious G.R.A 'Picture of the Year Award' twelve times in the last thirteen years, and consecutively for the past eight years. This year John has been invited to open the first of several exhibitions of paintings to commemorate the centenary of the birth of the celebrated artist, the late Terence Cuneo. His fantastic talents also assist in celebrating the 200th birthday of Brunel celebrated with A Radius of Curves. John's painting Night King will be exhibited alongside the performance and his work will also adorn all the A Radius of Curves programme covers, flyers and posters. www.johnaustingra.com